Students learn their way around TV studio

Students learn their way around TV studio
Long Branch program gives students on- and off-camera time
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

ERIC SUCAR staff Students Anna Kelly (l-r), Hannah Elliott and Conor Mullan answer questions about the television studio during their class at Long Branch Middle School on Oct. 1. ERIC SUCAR staff Students Anna Kelly (l-r), Hannah Elliott and Conor Mullan answer questions about the television studio during their class at Long Branch Middle School on Oct. 1. LONG BRANCH — State-of-the-art equipment and real-life experience is introducing Long Branch students to the workings of a TV studio, including the news anchor spot.

Students at Long Branch Middle School and High School benefit from TV studios and equipment that are less than three years old.

"We have excellent equipment," Long Branch communications officer Theresa Falcone said. "It's amazing for a middle school to have this kind of set-up."

Video cams, microphones, a switchboard, new computers and a green screen are some of the high-tech equipment students work with.

Faculty member Delanyard Robinson II, who runs the TV studio at the high school, said that the program is looking into more projects than just newscasts.

"We are working on little vignettes," Robinson said during a taping of a newscast. "We are trying to get students involved in contests.

ERIC SUCAR staff Students work in the production room of the television studio at Long Branch High School after a rehearsal for the morning announcements on Oct. 1. ERIC SUCAR staff Students work in the production room of the television studio at Long Branch High School after a rehearsal for the morning announcements on Oct. 1. "We have students that put together little stories," he added. "Some want to make a music video, and of course we just document events that come up."

Robinson is in his second year at the high school and said nearly 100 students are enrolled in his six different classes.

"I would probably have even more [students] if there was more time," he said.

Robinson said that the challenge in running such a program is including everyone's specific talents and skills.

"The biggest challenge is trying to meet everybody's needs," he said. "The goal is to tap into everybody's talents.

"They are all basically just getting a foundation as far as editing and using the camera," he added.

"The goal is once they start working on individual news packages that they would share the responsibilities," he continued. "Everybody has a role."

Robinson also said that he is looking into ways to get students involved who aren't enrolled in his classes.

"I am exploring ways for students who are not even enrolled in the class to be involved," he said.

Robinson mentioned that students running for student government can tape their speeches, and students also can use the studio for projects in other classes.

Robinson credited having a program in place at the middle school as being a benefit for the high school students.

"I find that they're really just prepared more with computer skills," he said. "It's natural for them to figure things out.

"Now they have the form and structure to get together a news story or video," he added.

For students the studio is a learning environment, but also an environment where they can enjoy themselves.

"It is a fun environment," 11th-grader Julio Arevalio said. "It is a class where you learn a lot. I learned how to edit movies and how to use the portable camera."

Arevalio, who is in his first year working with the cameras, said that anyone who wants to work in front of the camera may do so.

He also said that while the TV studio class has been a fun experience, it is not something he envisions as a career.

"I'm just doing it for fun now," he said.

While the high school program is in its second year, the middle school is entering its third year with the program.

Kristen Catrambone is in her first year teaching the program, and the program has added a media history class to the curriculum.

"What we are trying to do this year is basically create a media history along with the TV production," she said. "We started off with cave drawings, the printing press and now we are studying the telegraph.

"They need to know where the camera comes from," she added.

One of Catrambone's eighth-grade students agreed that it is important to learn about the history of technology.

"What I like about this class is to see how technology evolved as we evolved," Conor Mullan said. "I wanted to learn why we have cameras."

Catrambone said that the students will be working more with the cameras and equipment within a week or two.

"We are going to make our own little film using these brand-new MAC computers," she said. "And hopefully we will do one or two news broadcasts in the studio.

"They are going to start learning how the buttons work and we will eventually broadcast a news show," she added.

Another project Catrambone is planning is to try to emulate a late-night talk show.

"We are going to try to do a late-night show in the morning," she said. "We are studying Johnny Carson."

Catrambone said a change from previous classes is that the teacher did a lot of the writing and editing while the students had more of a role in front of the camera.

"This year we really want them to get into editing on their own with me kind of coaching them," she said.

"My thing is instead of me editing it and making them TV personalities, they need to edit it, they need to write it," she added.

Catrambone teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in her elective classes and she is giving the older classes a different role than the younger ones.

"Seventh- and eighth-graders are the news crew, but sixth-graders will do a YouTube news corner," she said. "The sixth-graders will pick a clip and critique."

Robinson and Catrambone agreed that the main goal is for the students to get real work experience.

"The goal is to get their foot in the door in terms of a career in film and media," Robinson said. "Basically the idea is to give the students as much real work experience as possible."

"We are not NBC here; we're trying to get them ready for NBC," Catrambone said. "They have to learn how to mess up a little, it's OK."

"We are not NBC here; we're trying to get them ready for NBC," Catrambone said. "They have to learn how to mess up a little, it's OK."

One of Catrambone's more experienced students said she has enjoyed her time working in the TV studio.

"I did the news last year and I thought it was a really cool experience to try something new," Hannah Elliott said. "I wanted to be in the class so I could continue to do that."

Elliott described her role last year. "Sometimes I was doing the weather, while other times I'd be behind the desk. We'd help behind the scenes with the teleprompter and things like that."

One of the ideas that has been bounced around in Long Branch is to have some of the high school students film and broadcast the City Council meetings for extra credit. While Robinson said he has not heard that idea, he said he is in favor of it.

"That hasn't been brought up to me, but I'm sure if it's something our superintendent wants to explore," he said, "I could see something like that happening."